South African National Standard 164: Plugs and socket outlets for household and similar purposes for use in South Africa is the South African Bureau of Standards' standard for domestic AC power plugs and sockets. As a former British colony, South Africa's electricity standards are of British derivation, and it uses 220/230 V at 50 Hz AC. However, while the UK changed over to the rectangular-pin BS 1363 plug after World War II, South Africa has retained the older round-pin BS 546style. This round-pin style was current in both the UK and South Africa when South Africa gained independence in 1931. Consequently, through much of the rest of the 20th century, both the smaller BS 546 5 ampere plug and socket, and the larger BS 546 15 ampere plug and socket, remained commonly in use in South Africa until the SANS 164-1 and SANS 164-2 standards were strictly defined in 1992. In 1994 these two new modern SANS 164 standards were implemented. Through the 1980s and into the 1990s the SANS 164-1/BS 546 15ampere standard was largely in the process of replacing the smaller BS 546 5 ampere standard, and thus it became the most prominently utilised standard from 1994 on. South Africa has adopted the IEC 60906-1 plug and socket as SANS 164-2 in 1992. More recently however it has been selected by the South African Government as the "preferred standard" in 2013, and is being pushed to slowly replace the SANS 164-1/BS 546 15 ampere standard. Although the sockets are compatible with the Europlugs, which are already in common use as SANS 164-5, and Brazil has adopted a modified form of the same IEC 60906-1 standard, South Africa is the first country to adopt the IEC 60906-1 standard directly and implement it. The standard is divided into seven parts:
; SANS 164-0 General and Safety Requirements
; SANS 164-1 Conventional System, 16 A 250 V
; SANS 164-2 Conventional System, 16 A 250 V
; SANS 164-3 Conventional System, 6 A 250 V
; SANS 164-4 Dedicated System, 16 A 250 V
; SANS 164-5 Two-pole, non-rewireable plugs, 2,5 A 250 V AC, with cord, for connection of class II equipment
; SANS 164-6 Two-pole systems, 16 A 250 V AC, for connection of class II equipment The last two categories allow many European electrical devices to be imported directly.
